sheathe
Americanverb (used with object)
-
sheathes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sheathed,
past participle, past
-
sheathing
present participle
-
to put (a sword, dagger, etc.) into a sheath.
-
to plunge (a sword, dagger, etc.) in something as if in a sheath.
-
to enclose in or as if in a casing or covering.
-
to cover or provide with a protective layer or sheathing.
to sheathe a roof with copper.
-
to cover (a cable, electrical connector, etc.) with a metal sheath for grounding.
verb
-
to insert (a knife, sword, etc) into a sheath
-
(esp of cats) to retract (the claws)
-
to surface with or encase in a sheath or sheathing
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sheathesimple
-
sheathessimple
-
have sheathedperfect
-
has sheathedperfect
-
am sheathingprogressive
-
are sheathingprogressive
-
is sheathingprogressive
-
have been sheathingperfect progressive
-
has been sheathingperfect progressive
Past
-
sheathedsimple
-
had sheathedperfect
-
was sheathingprogressive
-
were sheathingprogressive
-
had been sheathingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sheathe
1350–1400; Middle English shethen, derivative of sheath
Explanation
The verb sheathe means to place in a sheath. What's a sheath? Well, that's any kind of protective covering. With that extra "e" on the end sheathe gives off a very old English vibe. Perhaps that's because all those knights were often sheathing their swords so as not to scare the fair ladies. Those knights were also sheathed in armor when going into battle or setting off to joust. These days, with medieval armaments in low demand, not much gets sheathed — except maybe the kitchen knives in the knife block or your cat's claws when they retract.
Vocabulary lists containing sheathe
The Sea of Monsters
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Slaughterhouse-Five
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Pax
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
You know those wool pockets that pro players sheathe over their golf clubs?
From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026
Architect Daniel Huntington’s Hotel Piedmont even went so far as to use a large quantity of art tile from the Malibu Tile Company to sheathe the street-level facades.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 8, 2023
Most migraine researchers think that the pain of an attack is generated by increased firing of the trigeminal nerves, which carry sensory information from the face and the meninges that sheathe the brain.
From Nature ● Oct. 13, 2020
Others rely on a system that can sheathe a painting with a hard surface on command—useful both for security and to protect the art when residents are away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2015
Jason wasn’t quite sure whether to sheathe his sword.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Priced at $12 for a pack of 30, the square sheathes are prized by comedian Rebel Wilson.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2019
In the master bedroom, it sheathes a wall floor to ceiling.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 18, 2017
It sheathes its titular patriarch with muscles and weighs him down with worldly worries.
From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2017
You are now more likely to see a bouquet laden with sheathes of grass, arching vines of clematis, Fritillaria bulbs and flowering purple basil than just a polite cluster of roses or calla lilies.
From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2017
The trees around are denuded, as if they’ve been burnt; webbing sheathes their trunks.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Every bone, down to the last dire wolf rib, must be carefully sheathed in a custom foam shell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
The post office steps, which I hit at a run, were sheathed in ice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
At its heart was a 12ft tall emblem of the Hindu god Shiva, sheathed in gold encrusted with rubies and pearls.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2025
Sergeant Ruiz and other officers tangled with Mr. Bonawitz, who is 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighs nearly 300 pounds, before confiscating an eight-inch knife he had sheathed on his hip, prosecutors said.
From New York Times ● Jan. 17, 2024
He was a tall, narrow man, like one of the marble pillars, except that, sheathed in sweat, he gleamed more.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
Some of the crucial work done at Bell Labs might now seem mundane: for example, how to fabricate sheathing so undersea cables wouldn’t be chewed through by Toredo worms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026
They work well to secure shingles to roofs or tar paper to wall and roof sheathing, but that’s about the extent of their usefulness.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 11, 2023
Flames soon rose into the attic, crowded with rafters and sheathing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2023
Nicholson & Galloway, an exterior restoration contractor experienced with historical domes, repaired cracks in tiles, patched concrete, then layered on new protective materials: a hand-troweled vapor barrier, spray foam insulation, stainless-steel framing, plywood sheathing.
From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2022
Just as he stripped off its sheathing, a dark odor of lightning blew through the earth.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
